Cape Bank Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) Survey Acoustic Data - 2015

An acoustic survey took place at Cape Bank Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) in 2015. MBES bathymetry and backscatter data were acquired using the Kongsberg EM2040 system operated at 300 kHz and deployed on the drop keel of RV Cefas Endeavour, which was lowered to its full extent to minimise the effect of bad weather on the acoustic signal. Variations of sound velocity with water depth were determined using a CTD (Conductivity Temperature Depth) probe and applied during MBES data acquisition.The raw MBES bathymetry data were processed using CARIS HIPS. Tidal information was gathered using a CNAV 3050 DGPS receiver. Tide height data was smoothed and extracted to reduce the tide on the bathymetry. The soundings were cleaned and smoothed using CARIS (to IHO order 1 where possible). MBES backscatter data were processed with Fledermaus Geocoder Toolbox to produce standard and floating point (FP) geotiffs. Separate processing reports are provided to satisfy quality assurance (QA) requirements.